


Dark Woods

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Dark Jack, Platonic Cuddling, Possessive Behavior, Shadow!Jack, it was all a dream, or was it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21817867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Ben has an unsettling dream. At least, he hoped it was a dream
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens, Sammy Stevens/Jack Wright
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	Dark Woods

Ben thought there might have been a fight, but he couldn’t pin down any solid memory of it. What he did know was that he was somewhere cold and dark, snow-covered trees and dark woods as far as the eye could see. The trees cast long shadows, shadows that moved in unnatural patterns, like a time lapse video. 

“Hello?” Ben called into the dark wood, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

“You.” a voice whispered, quiet and breathy and so so familiar, and the shadows around Ben began to writhe, agitated by something he couldn’t see. 

“Hello?” he called again, a terrible hope rising in his chest as a bell rang in his head. He knew that voice, “Jack?”

“ _You_!” the shadows suddenly lunged at him, and Ben was forced to hurl himself backwards so they struck at the ground at his feet rather than his face. He glanced up with fear and surprise, glancing around to try and decipher the source of the attack. 

“Who’s there!?” he demanded, and the shadows all rushed to a central point in front of Ben, twisting and writhing into a small column before his very eyes. A figure began to take shape before him, tall and broad and humanoid. Faceless, but human enough that Ben recognized him from Lily’s old photos, certainty striking him like a lightning bolt. 

“Jack?” Ben breathed, eyes wide, “Jack!? Jack Wright? Jack-in-the-box Jesus, is it really you?”

“Ben. Arnold.” Jack growled, something resembling a face resolving on his head, features twisted in a quiet fury that sent a pang of fear through Ben’s blood, “Ben _Fucking_ Arnold.”

“You know who I am?” Ben asked with surprise.

“Oh, I know who you are.” Jack growled, low and menacing and filled with a venom that took Ben aback, “I know _exactly_ who you are. You’re the _kid_ that took Sammy from me.” 

“I... what?” Ben took an involuntary step back, confusion and fear whirling in his head, “What are you talking about, Jack?”

“It’s your fault. You’re the reason I’m still alone.” his teeth were too sharp, his voice echoing in empty woods, “You’re trying to take away him from me.”

“Jack, what are you talking about?” he asked again, trembling, “I don’t know what you mean!”

“You’re the reason he won’t come to the Doorstep to be with me.” he was advancing on Ben now, slow and methodical, “You’re the reason he doesn’t listen when I beg him to come to me. You’re the fucking leech taking up all his time and affection, hoarding his smile, _stealing_ him from me!”

“What are you talking about?” Ben asked, unable to ask anything else, his voice a terrified whisper, “I-I’m not taking Sammy from anyone! If anything, I’m the reason he’s still searching for you! He almost moved on, but we convinced him not to, so why…?”

“If you weren’t there to hold him back, I’d have him!” Jack snapped, “He’d be here with me, safe and protected and happy. But instead he’s out there, where I can’t protect him, with _you_.”

“Sammy’s my best friend!” Ben shouted, “He’s my best friend and I love him, so of course he’s safe, there’s nothing I wouldn’t-“ but Jack’s face had twisted at his words, a wordless cry of rage escaping his lips. He charged forward, until he was directly in front of Ben, face inches away from his. 

“Love him? _Love him?_ ” Jack snarled, rage causing his form to visibly distort, “Don’t make me laugh. You don’t know what love is. You couldn’t love Sammy like I do, _no one_ could!”

“Jack, please, that’s not what I meant. J-Just calm down, we can-“

“Sammy doesn’t belong to you!” Jack snarled, eyes so black they hurt to look at as he seized Ben’s shoulders with a bruising grip, “He belongs to _me_. He’s mine. _Mine_. Why does everyone want to keep him from me? You, Lily, the Unwritten One, all of you! Don’t they see he’s unhappy without me? Can’t they see that I can’t be _complete_ without him?” 

“Jack, _please_!”

“We need each other!” Jack threw him to the ground, and Ben landed hard on the frigid ground with a cry, “ _I need him!_ He isn’t safe in the Land of The Light, he needs to come to me where I can keep him safe!”

“You sound insane!” Ben cried, scrambling to his feet, but a shadow around his ankle sent him crashing back down to the ground, “Jack, you’re not thinking straight! You need to calm down, please, think about Sammy!”

“Sammy is _all_ I think about.” Jack hissed, standing over him like a dark tower, “He’s the only thing in the fucking Void worth living for, don’t you get it?”

“I understand the need to protect Sammy.” Ben tried, his voice breaking, “I understand the need to have him close by. But Jack, please, look at yourself. If Sammy saw you now, you can’t seriously think he’d be okay with this? Something’s wrong, you need to stop and think. _Please_.” 

“He’d be okay, as long as it was me.” his face softened slightly, something dreamy briefly crossing his features, “He loved me when I was a dumb rugby nerd. He loved me when I was obsessed with King Falls. He’ll love me even now. Because it’s _me_.”

“He wants you back, but not like this.” Ben felt tears streaming down his face, and he wondered when he’d started to cry, “If he saw you like this, it would make him sad. Trust me, I know him, I know he wouldn’t approve of this.” Jack’s face shuttered then, his expression turning dark once more. 

“Sammy,” he growled, “is mine. I’m going to marry him, you know. Saved up for months to get him the perfect ing. You know _nothing_ about him, about either of us. You don’t know a damn thing.”

“He’s my best friend.” Ben said, desperate, “I know him better than you think. When you called us that night begging Sammy to join you-“

“When you and the Unwritten One _stopped_ him-“

“-he was crying!” Ben yelled, “Sammy was crying because of you! You made him cry that night, with your cruel words! That isn’t love, it’s selfish!” Jack was quiet, something flickering across his face, too fast for Ben to see. He took a step back, his voice wavering a little as he spoke.

“Crying?” and it might have been Ben’s imagination, but he sounded more human than he had a second ago, “Sammy... Sammy was crying?”

“He misses you so much.” Ben whispered, “He wants you back, but he _can’t_ join you here. We’re trying to get you out, but we need you to work with us, okay?” Jack shook his head wildly, clutching it with his hands. 

“No.” his voice was definitely trembling, the echoing reverberations gone, “No no no no no...”

“Jack, please-“

“No no _no_ , that isn’t... I just want him _back_ , there’s no reason for him to cry.”

“Jack-“

“He shouldn’t cry, he shouldn’t _ever_ cry!”

“Jack, you need to calm down.” Ben tried, but the shadows were already beginning to reclaim him, “Jack, please, we can fix this, you just need to-“

“No!” Jack snarled, his head snapping up to glare at Ben with murder in his eyes, any semblance of humanity swallowed once more, “Shut up, shut _up_!” He grabbed Ben by the throat, his grip strong enough to cut off his air supply. Ben struggled, fighting and squirming, trying to escape the punishing grip. 

“J... Ja-a-“

“I’m going to take him back.” Jack’s face twisted again, this time into a grin, “I’m going to take him away from you, and once he’s back in my arms, I will _never_ let him go again. No more tears, no more sadness, _nothing_ that could ever upset him. I’ll have his smile again, his warmth, his voice, the smell of his hair. And I won’t let the likes of _you_ keep us apart.” Ben tried to speak, to protest, maybe to cry out, but Jack’s claws came down before he could utter a word, sharp talons aimed directly at his throat. 

He woke up with a gasp, shooting up and tumbling out of his bed with a cry. The noise was loud, loud enough that it brought Sammy running. Sammy called his name, frantic and scared, and Ben threw himself into his arms with a wet gasp. He heard the sound of sobbing, and he distantly registered that it was coming himself. Sammy held him tight, murmuring quiet words of comfort and assurance, and slowly but surely warmth started seeping back into his body. He hadn’t even realized he was cold.

“Ben?” Sammy asked, his voice soft and full of worry, “Are you alright?”

“F-Fine.” Ben managed, clutching him close, “Bad dream.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Sammy asked, and Ben was seized with dread at the thought of even mentioning Jack. He shook his head wildly, and Sammy, amazing wonderful Sammy, didn’t push. He sat a moment more, just holding Ben, until he felt steady enough to move. He helped Ben back into his bed, letting him cling without a word. The cold had faded, but the dream was still prominent in his mind. At least, he hoped it was a dream. Because if it wasn’t...

“Do you need anything?” Sammy asked quietly, eyes worried and long hair a sleep-mussed curtain, “Water? More blankets? Emily?” Ben shook his head, managing a smile he hoped was reassuring. 

“I’m okay.” he said, his voice only breaking a little, “Really. Thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Sammy asked, and Ben nodded again, “Well... If you’re sure. Will you be alright if I leave?” Ben was hit with an image of Sammy vanishing into the darkness of his room, and his heart jumped. Without meaning to, he lurched forward and grabbed Sammy’s sleeve.

“Don’t go.” he pleaded, eyes wide and terrified, and that was all Sammy needed. He squeezed Ben’s wrist with a smile and nodded, and it only took a little maneuvering for him to slip under the covers alongside him. Ben immediately wrapped his limbs around him like an octopus, and Sammy held him like one would a favored little brother. The simple gesture nearly brought new tears to Ben’s eyes. He had the fleeting thought that this scene wouldn’t endear him to Jack at all, but he ruthlessly shoved that thought aside with a shiver. Sammy seemed to feel the shiver, as his hand started slowly rubbing Ben’s back in a soothing manner, and Ben was hit with a surge of affection. How had he ever managed to live without Sammy in his life? 

“Sammy?” Ben asked, a little choked with the sudden emotion.

“Yeah?” Sammy yawned, and Ben tightened his hold.

“I love you.” he said, “You’re my best friend. Don’t... Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

“Ben, are you sure I don’t need to call Emily?” he asked dryly, and Ben gave a quiet huff of laughter.

“I’m sure.” he headbutted him, “Just making sure you knew.”

“Of course I know.” Sammy murmured, “You promise you’ll tell me if something’s wrong?”

“I promise.” Ben nodded, “We should sleep.” Sammy nodded, letting out another yawn and sinking further down into the mattress. He was asleep again in moments, and despite the remnants of the dream echoing in his head, he felt himself starting to drift. Sammy was warm, and safe, and familiar, and Ben would never ever let the shadows take him. Even if the dream was real, it didn’t change anything. They were going to get Jack back, and they were going to make sure he was safe and sane, and they would cheer Sammy on as he and Jack were reunited. Sammy had him and their friends to watch out for him, and Jack had all of King Falls eagerly rooting for his return. Everything would work out in the end. It had to. 

Even so. He fell asleep with the lights on that night, just to be safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics inspired by the same episode, wild


End file.
